U.S. patent number 10,751,876 [Application Number 15/864,050] was granted by the patent office on 2020-08-25 for moving robot, method of controlling moving robot, and control program.
This patent grant is currently assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA. The grantee listed for this patent is TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to Yoshiaki Asahara, Hideki Kajima.
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United States Patent |
10,751,876 |
Asahara , et al. |
August 25, 2020 |
Moving robot, method of controlling moving robot, and control
program
Abstract
A moving robot including: actuators at least including a motor
for movement; a reading unit configured to read a tag installed in
an environment, at least one of information on an allowable
operation time of the actuators and information on an allowable
operation amount of the actuators being described in the tag; and a
controller configured to prohibit or limit execution of a
predetermined task whose execution has already been accepted, the
predetermined task being operated using at least one of the
actuators, until the time when the reading unit reads the tag, and
release the prohibition or the limitation and execute the task in
such a way that an operation time and an operation amount do not
exceed the allowable operation time and the allowable operation
amount described in the tag after the reading unit has read the tag
is provided.
Inventors: |
Asahara; Yoshiaki (Nagoya,
JP), Kajima; Hideki (Toyota, JP) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA |
Toyota-shi, Aichi-ken |
N/A |
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
(Toyota-shi, Aichi-ken, JP)
|
Family
ID: |
60915378 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/864,050 |
Filed: |
January 8, 2018 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20180215040 A1 |
Aug 2, 2018 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
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Feb 1, 2017 [JP] |
|
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2017-016760 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B25J
9/1676 (20130101); B25J 9/1661 (20130101); B25J
9/1694 (20130101); G05D 1/0214 (20130101); B25J
19/021 (20130101); B25J 9/1666 (20130101); B25J
5/007 (20130101); G05B 2219/40202 (20130101); Y10S
901/49 (20130101); Y10S 901/31 (20130101); G05D
2201/0216 (20130101); Y10S 901/46 (20130101); Y10S
901/09 (20130101); Y10S 901/27 (20130101); Y10S
901/01 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G05B
19/04 (20060101); G05D 1/02 (20200101); B25J
5/00 (20060101); B25J 9/16 (20060101); G05B
19/18 (20060101); B25J 19/02 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
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1 796 079 |
|
Jun 2007 |
|
EP |
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64-016395 |
|
Jan 1989 |
|
JP |
|
2016/076980 |
|
May 2016 |
|
WO |
|
Primary Examiner: Oh; Harry Y
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sughrue Mion, PLLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A moving robot comprising: actuators at least comprising a motor
for movement; a tag reader configured to read a tag installed in an
environment, wherein the tag describes an allowable information,
wherein the allowable information includes at least one of an
allowable operation time of the actuators or an allowable operation
amount of the actuators; and a controller configured to prohibit or
limit execution of a predetermined task whose execution has already
been accepted, the predetermined task being operated using at least
one of the actuators, until the time when the tag reader reads the
tag, and release the prohibition or the limitation and execute the
task in such a way that an operation time and an operation amount
do not exceed the allowable information described in the tag after
the tag reader has read the tag.
2. The moving robot according to claim 1, wherein, when the
allowable information described in the tag includes the allowable
operation time, the controller starts counting time after the
moving robot has reached a position in which the task can be
executed.
3. The moving robot according to claim 1, wherein the controller
interrupts the execution of the task and executes processing of
terminating the task that has been interrupted when the operation
time and the operation amount have reached the allowable
information described in the tag after the prohibition or the
limitation is released and the execution of the task is started but
before the execution of the task is completed.
4. The moving robot according to claim 3, wherein, when the moving
robot has conveyed a conveyance object as the task, the controller
controls, as the termination processing, the moving robot in such a
way that the moving robot places the conveyance object in a
predetermined position.
5. The moving robot according to claim 3, wherein the controller
controls, as the termination processing, the motor in such a way
that the moving robot stays in the position in which the operation
time and the operation amount have reached the allowable
information described in the tag.
6. The moving robot according to claim 1, wherein the allowable
information described in the tag further includes an operating
limitation regarding an operation of the actuators, and the
controller executes the task in such a way as to satisfy the
operating limitation.
7. A method of controlling a moving robot, the moving robot
comprising actuators at least comprising a motor for movement, the
method comprising the steps of: accepting an execution instruction
of a predetermined task operated using at least one of the
actuators; prohibiting or limiting the execution of the task;
reading a tag installed in an environment, wherein the tag
describes an allowable information, wherein the allowable
information includes at least one of an allowable operation time of
the actuators or an allowable operation amount of the actuators;
and releasing the prohibition or the limitation and executing the
task in such a way that an operation time and an operation amount
do not exceed the allowable information described in the tag.
8. A storage medium that stores a control program of a moving
robot, the moving robot comprising actuators at least comprising a
motor for movement, the control program of the moving robot causing
a computer to execute the following steps of: accepting an
execution instruction of a predetermined task operated using at
least one of the actuators; prohibiting or limiting the execution
of the task; reading a tag installed in an environment, wherein the
tag describes an allowable information, wherein the allowable
information includes at least one of an allowable operation time of
the actuators or an allowable operation amount of the actuators;
and releasing the prohibition or the limitation and executing the
task in such a way that an operation time and an operation amount
do not exceed the allowable information described in the tag.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority
from Japanese patent application No. 2017-16760, filed on Feb. 1,
2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its
entirety by reference.
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a moving robot, a method of
controlling the moving robot, and a control program.
Techniques for giving a task to an autonomous moving robot and
causing the moving robot to execute the task have been known. There
is a case in which a space in which the moving robot can move is
shared by another apparatus. Techniques for prohibiting a moving
robot from moving through a specific spatial area in the above case
have been known (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent
Application Publication No. S64-16395).
SUMMARY
In recent years, more and more moving robots have been designed to
move through a human activity space. In the human activity space,
securing the human's safety is the most crucial issue. However,
enlarging a space where movement and operations of the moving robot
are prohibited or limited more than necessary in order to secure
the human's safety causes a decrease in productivity of the moving
robot. In particular, the situation of the human activity space
changes with time depending on the utilization form, the
utilization time band etc. of this space. Changing the spatial area
that has been programmed where the movement and the operations of
the moving robot are prohibited or restricted in order to improve
the productivity of the moving robot requires extremely troublesome
work.
The present invention has been made in order to solve the
aforementioned problem, and aims to improve the productivity of the
moving robot in a simple manner in accordance with the situation of
the operating space as well as securing the human's safety.
A moving robot according to a first aspect of the present invention
includes: actuators at least including a motor for movement; a
reading unit configured to read a tag installed in an environment,
at least one of information on an allowable operation time of the
actuators and information on an allowable operation amount of the
actuators being described in the tag; and a controller configured
to prohibit or limit execution of a predetermined task whose
execution has already been accepted, the predetermined task being
operated using at least one of the actuators, until the time when
the reading unit reads the tag, and release the prohibition or the
limitation and execute the task in such a way that an operation
time and an operation amount do not exceed the allowable operation
time and the allowable operation amount described in the tag after
the reading unit has read the tag.
According to the moving robot thus formed, a user and an
administrator are able to change the operation time and the
operation amount allowed for the moving robot by only replacing
tags in accordance with the situation of the space in which the
moving robot operates. That is, the operability of the moving robot
can be improved in accordance with the situation of the operating
space. Further, in a normal operation until the time when the tag
is read, the prohibition or the limitation is imposed on the
execution of the task, thereby prioritizing the human's safety.
Further, since the monitoring target is at least one of the
operation time and the operation amount of the actuator, it is
possible to monitor the operation time and the operation amount
using only a timer and a sensor that are highly reliable, and to
reduce the probability that unexpected movement and operations
occurring due to a failure or a malfunction occur.
Further, in the aforementioned moving robot, the controller may
start counting time after the moving robot has reached a position
in which the task can be executed when the allowable operation time
is described in the tag. By defining the timing when the time is
started to be counted as stated above, the location where the tag
is attached can be set in a flexible manner.
Further, in the aforementioned moving robot, when the operation
time and the operation amount have reached the allowable operation
time and the allowable operation amount described in the tag after
the prohibition or the limitation is released and the execution of
the task is started but before the execution of the task is
completed, the controller may interrupt the execution of the task
and execute processing of terminating the task that has been
interrupted. In this case, when the moving robot has conveyed a
conveyance object as the task, the controller may control, as
termination processing, the moving robot in such a way that the
moving robot places the conveyance object in a predetermined
position. Further, the controller may control the motor for
movement in such a way that the moving robot stays in the position
in which the operation time and the operation amount have reached
the allowable operation time and the allowable operation amount
described in the tag.
The moving robot according to the present invention releases
limitations or the like based on at least one of the operation time
and the operation amount of the actuator to be monitored
independently from the task, not permitting or prohibiting each
operation of the task by looking into the contents of the task.
Therefore, even in a case in which, for example, the execution of
the task is interrupted while the moving robot is grasping the
conveyance object, it is possible to take safety measures including
placing the conveyance object at an appropriate place. Further,
even in a case in which, for example, the allowable operation time
has passed while the moving robot is travelling on an inclined
surface, the motor of the moving robot is controlled to stay the
moving robot at the site to prevent the moving robot from falling
off the slope.
Further, an operating limitation regarding an operation of the
actuators can be described in the tag, and the controller of the
moving robot may execute the task in such a way as to satisfy the
operating limitation when the operating limitation is described in
the tag. By giving the operating limitation as described above, it
is possible to achieve execution of the task in accordance with a
larger variety of space situations.
A method of controlling a moving robot according to a second aspect
of the present invention is a method of controlling the moving
robot, the moving robot including actuators at least including a
motor for movement, the method including the steps of: accepting an
execution instruction of a predetermined task operated using at
least one of the actuators; prohibiting or limiting the execution
of the task; reading a tag installed in an environment, at least
one of information on an allowable operation time of the actuators
and information on an allowable operation amount of the actuators
being described in the tag; and releasing the prohibition or the
limitation and executing the task in such a way that an operation
time and an operation amount do not exceed the allowable operation
time and the allowable operation amount described in the tag.
Further, a control program of a moving robot according to a third
aspect of the present invention is a control program of a moving
robot, the moving robot including actuators at least including a
motor for movement, the control program of the moving robot causing
a computer to execute the following steps of: accepting an
execution instruction of a predetermined task operated using at
least one of the actuators; prohibiting or limiting the execution
of the task; reading a tag installed in an environment, at least
one of information on an allowable operation time of the actuators
and information on an allowable operation amount of the actuators
being described in the tag; and releasing the prohibition or the
limitation and executing the task in such a way that an operation
time and an operation amount do not exceed the allowable operation
time and the allowable operation amount described in the tag.
According to the aspects of the aforementioned control method and
control program, effects similar to those obtained in the moving
robot according to the first aspect may be obtained.
According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the
productivity of the moving robot in a simple manner in accordance
with the situation of the operating space as well as securing the
human's safety.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become more fully understood from the detailed
description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which
are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not to be
considered as limiting the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a moving robot according
to an embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the moving robot;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a task and a working
space in which the task is executed;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing operation limiting conditions when a
limiting operation program is executed;
FIG. 5 is an external perspective view showing a state of the
moving robot that conveys a conveyance object;
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of tag information; and
FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for describing a process flow of the
moving robot.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained with reference
to an embodiment of the present invention. However, the invention
set forth in claims is not limited to the following embodiment.
Further, not all the components described in the embodiment may be
necessary as the means for solving the problems.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a moving robot 100
according to an embodiment. The moving robot 100 is mainly composed
of a cart part 110 and an arm part 120.
The cart part 110 is mainly formed of a base 111, two driving
wheels 112 attached to the base 111, and one caster 113. The two
driving wheels 112 are provided in the respective opposing sides of
the base 111 in such a way that the rotational axial cores thereof
coincide with each other. These driving wheels 112 are rotated by a
motor (not shown) independently from each other. The caster 113 is
a trailing wheel, has a pivot axis extending in the vertical
direction from the base 111 in such a way as to support the wheels
separated away from the rotation axis of the wheels, and follows
the traveling direction of the cart part 110. The moving robot 100
travels forward when, for example, the two driving wheels 112 are
rotated at the same rotation speed in the same direction, and turns
around the vertical axis that passes the center of gravity when
these driving wheels 112 are rotated at the same rotation speed in
the directions opposite from each other.
The cart part 110 includes various sensors for detecting obstacles
and recognizing an ambient environment. Two of these sensors are
cameras 114 installed in the front of the base 111. Each of the
cameras 114 includes, for example, a CMOS image sensor, and
transmits an image signal that it has captured to a controller
described later. If the two cameras 114 capture one subject,
parallax images can be acquired, and the controller is also able to
calculate the distance to the subject. A microphone 115 is also one
of the sensors. The microphone 115 transmits a voice signal that it
has acquired to the controller. Upon receiving the voice signal
that it has acquired, the controller is able to recognize, for
example, a voice of a person who stands near the moving robot 100
and to reflect the content of the voice signal in the operation of
the moving robot 100.
The cart part 110 is provided with tag readers 116 respectively
provided in the front and the side thereof. The tag reader 116
reads QR code (registered trademark) printed on a tag. As will be
described later, the tag reader 116 reads the tag installed in an
environment and transmits the information that has been read to the
controller. The moving robot 100 may drive the driving wheels 112
to cause one of the tag readers 116 to face the tag so that the tag
reader 116 may be able to easily read the tag attached to, for
example, the wall surface. Further, a control unit 190 is provided
in the cart part 110. The control unit 190 includes a controller, a
memory and the like.
The arm part 120 is mainly composed of a plurality of arms 121,
122, and 123, and a hand 124. The arm 121 has one end supported by
the base 111 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis. The
arm 122 has one end supported by the other end of the arm 121 so as
to be rotatable around the horizontal axis. The arm 123 has one end
supported by the other end of the arm 122 so as to be rotatable in
a radiation direction in the other end of the arm 122. The hand 124
is supported by the other end of the arm 123 so as to be rotatable
around the central axis parallel to the extending direction of the
arm 123.
The hand 124 includes a grasping mechanism so that it can grasp a
conveyance object as a work object of the moving robot 100. The
moving robot 100 may be applied to various purposes, not only to
convey the conveyance object. The arm part 120 grasps various
working objects in accordance with the task given to the moving
robot 100. For example, the arm part 120 is able to perform an
operation of grasping a lever and rotating the lever to open a
door.
FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the moving robot 100. A
controller 200 is, for example, a CPU, and executes various
operations related to the control of the moving robot 10 by
transmitting or receiving information such as commands and sampling
data to or from a driving wheel unit 210, an arm unit 220, a sensor
unit 230, a memory 240, a tag reader 160 and the like.
The driving wheel unit 210 is provided in the cart part 110, and
includes a drive circuit and a motor 211 for driving the driving
wheels 112, an encoder 212 for detecting an amount of rotation of
the motor 211 and the like. The controller 200 executes the
rotation control of the motor 211 by sending a drive signal to the
driving wheel unit 210. The motor 211 constitutes actuators mounted
on the moving robot 100. Further, the motor 211 calculates the
moving speed, the moving distance, the turning angle and the like
of the moving robot 100 by receiving a detection signal of the
encoder 212.
The arm unit 220 is provided in the arm part 120 and includes a
drive circuit and an actuator 221 for driving the arms 121, 122,
and 123 and the hand 124, an encoder 222 for detecting the
operation amount of the actuator 221 and the like. The controller
200 operates the actuator 221 by sending a drive signal to the arm
unit 220, and executes posture control and grasp control of the arm
part 120. The actuator 221 constitutes actuators installed in the
moving robot 100. Further, the actuator 221 calculates the
operating speed, the operating distance, the posture and the like
of the arm part 120 by receiving a detection signal of the encoder
222.
The sensor unit 230 includes, besides the camera 114 and the
microphone 115, various sensors that look around the ambient
environment and monitor the posture of the arm part 120. These
sensors are arranged in the cart part 110 and the arm part 120 in a
dispersed manner. The controller 200 sends a control signal to each
of the sensors, to thereby acquire the output of these sensors. The
camera 114 executes, for example, an image-capturing operation in
accordance with a control signal from the controller 200 and
transmits frame image data that has been captured to the controller
200.
The memory 240 is a non-volatile storage medium and may be, for
example, a solid state drive. The memory 240 stores a control
program for controlling the moving robot 100, various parameter
values, functions, lookup tables and the like used for control. In
particular, the memory 240 stores, for example, a task program 241
for executing a specific task such as a task of finding a specified
object and bringing back this object. Further, the memory 240
stores a limiting operation program 242 for operating the moving
robot 100 in a limited manner in a state in which the tag
information has not yet been read out. Further, the memory 240
stores a termination processing program 243 for causing the moving
robot 100 to execute termination processing when execution of the
task program 241 has been interrupted. The details thereof will be
described later.
The tag reader 116 is a QR code reader. The tag reader 116 reads
the information in the QR code printed on the tag and transmits the
information that has been read out to the controller 200. As will
be described later, at least one of information on an allowable
operation time of the actuators and information on an allowable
operation amount of the actuators is described with other
information in the QR code. While the tag on which the QR code is
printed is used as the tag in which these information items are
described in this embodiment, the medium in which these information
items are described is not limited to being a QR code. An RFID may
be, for example, used. When the RFID is used as the tag, an RFID
reader is employed as the tag reader 116. A desired tag may be
employed as long as it can be easily replaced in accordance with
the situation of the space in which the moving robot 100 moves and
the contents therein can be read out by simple processing.
Alternatively, the tag reader 116 may be configured to read a
plurality of different types of tags. Both the QR code reader and
the RFID reader may be, for example, provided as the tag reader
116. In this case, in order to secure a higher safety level, the
limitations may be released as described later only when
information in the QR code read out by the QR code reader and
information in the RFID read out by the RFID reader coincide with
each other. On the other hand, in order to increase convenience,
the limitations may be released in accordance with one of the
information items that has been read out.
A timer 117 is a timer for counting time, and starts counting time
upon receiving a start signal from the controller 200. Further, the
timer 117 sends the counted time in response to an inquiry sent
from the controller 200.
The controller 200 also serves as a function operating unit that
executes various operations related to control. A tag analyzing
unit 201 analyzes information read out by the tag reader 116 and
configures conditions for releasing prohibited or limited
operations. An operation monitoring unit 202 monitors whether the
task program 241 is being executed within the range of the
releasing conditions that have been configured. The details thereof
will be described later.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the task that the moving
robot 100 executes and an example of a working space in which this
task is executed. FIG. 3 shows a state in which a work area 601 in
which the moving robot 100 can move and a passage area 602 when
these areas are seen from above.
The work area 601 is, for example, a space divided by partitions
and is one of areas in which the moving robot 100 can work. The
work area 601 is connected to the passage area 602 via an
entrance/exit 603.
A table 611 is placed at the center of the work area 601, and a
shelf 612 is installed in the vicinity of a wall surface which is
the farthest from the entrance/exit 603. It is assumed that a task
of entering the work area 601 from the entrance/exit 603, moving
while avoiding the table 611, grasping a conveyance object 613
placed on the shelf 612, and going back to the entrance/exit 603 is
given to the moving robot 100. The specific work and operations
that the moving robot 100 should execute are stored in the memory
240 as the task program 241 in advance. The user specifies the task
program 241 from among a plurality of task programs prepared in
advance at a timing when, for example, the moving robot 100 is
started up.
The processing of the robot 100 finding a moving path while
avoiding obstacles and moving along the moving path using
information obtained from the camera 114, the microphone 115 and
the like, recognizing the conveyance object 613, which is a target
object, from articles placed on the shelf 612 and grasping the
conveyance object 613 that has been recognized, and returning is
described in the task program 241. When the moving robot 100
recognizes, for example, that the execution of this task program
241 has been specified while it moves along the passage area 602,
the moving robot 100 heads for the entrance/exit 603. At this
stage, the limiting operation program 242 is being executed and the
movement and the operations allowed for the moving robot 100 are
limited.
An example of operation limiting conditions when the limiting
operation program 242 is executed will now be explained. FIG. 4 is
a diagram showing the operation limiting conditions when the
limiting operation program 242 is executed. Conditions regarding
the movement of the cart part 110, conditions regarding the
operation of the arm part 120, and conditions regarding the usage
of the sensors of the sensor unit 230 have been mainly configured
as the operation limiting conditions.
As to the conditions regarding the movement of the cart part 110,
the cart moving speed is limited to be 0.6 m/s or lower. Therefore,
when the limiting operation program 242 is executed, a drive signal
of the motor 211 generated by the controller 200 is limited to a
drive signal that instructs the speed 0.6 m/s or lower. Further, a
height H.sub.0 when the cart moves is limited to be 1.5 m or lower
and a diameter R.sub.0 when the cart moves is limited to be 2.0 m
or smaller. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, even in a state in
which the arm part 120 is grasping the conveyance object 613, it is
required to contract the arm part 120 when the cart moves in such a
way that the whole body of the moving robot 100 is within a
columnar space having the height H.sub.0 and the diameter
R.sub.0.
As to the conditions regarding the operation of the arm part 120,
the arm operation speed is limited to be 0.5 m/s or lower and the
arm operation diameter is limited to be 2.0 m or smaller. When, for
example, a door is provided in the entrance/exit 603 and the arm
part 120 is operated to open the door, the controller 200 needs to
transmit a drive signal that satisfies this condition to the
actuator 221.
As described above, by imposing limitations on the operation of the
cart part 110 and the operation of the arm part 120, it is possible
to operate the moving robot 100 relatively safely even in a space
in which both a human and the moving robot 100 are present. That
is, these limitations minimize the probability that the human in
the vicinity of the moving robot 100 is injured even when this
human has contacted a part of the moving robot 100.
As to the conditions regarding the usage of the sensors of the
sensor unit 230, neither image authentication nor voice recognition
is allowed to be used. The image authentication is used, for
example, to determine, when the user gives an instruction to the
moving robot 100, whether this user is included in the target
persons that have been registered in advance, the moving robot 100
being configured to accept instructions from the target persons.
The voice recognition is used to recognize, for example, the
content of a voice instruction by the user in place of manipulation
of an operation button.
As described above, by limiting processing that requires
complicated calculations, it is possible to minimize malfunctions
caused by calculation errors. In particular, while statistical
processing and processing using probability theory may naturally
cause errors, the moving robot 100 does not generate these errors
since it executes the limiting operation program 242. That is, in
the normal operation in which the limiting operation program 242 is
executed, the moving robot 100 operates in a stable manner since it
does not perform processing of outputting uncertain results.
With reference once again to FIG. 3, the explanation will be
continued. When the moving robot 100 reaches a moving start point
621 in the vicinity of the entrance/exit 603, the moving robot 100
recognizes a tag 604 attached to the wall surface in the vicinity
of the entrance/exit 603 by the tag reader 116. New conditions for
releasing the conditions in the limiting operation described with
reference to FIG. 4 and executing a task are described in the tag
604. In particular, as described above, either one of the allowable
operation time of the actuators and the allowable operation amount
of the actuators is described.
The tag 604 can be replaced easily. The administrator who manages
the work area 601 is able to attach a first tag 604 in a time zone
in which a working human is present in the work area 601 and to
attach a second tag 604 in a time zone in which there is no human
in the work area 601. By describing the limiting conditions for
improving the safety level in the first tag 604 and describing the
limiting conditions for maximizing the performance of the moving
robot 100 in the second tag 604, both a high safety level and a
high productivity can be achieved. When the layout of the work area
601 is changed or the usage purpose is changed, it is sufficient to
configure the limiting conditions in accordance with the situation
and replace the current tag 604 by another tag 604 in which the
configured limiting conditions are described, thereby optimizing
the operation of the moving robot 100. That is, by changing the way
of achieving the execution of the task in accordance with the
situation of the work area without changing the contents of the
task, both a high safety level and a high productivity can be
achieved.
Further, the administrator is able to not only change the operation
permission conditions of the moving robot 100 but also collectively
change the operation permission conditions of a large number of
moving robots by attaching one tag. Further, since the
administrator does not need to grasp the contents of the tasks, the
administrator does not need to perform troublesome work, which is
also advantageous in terms of safety management.
Further, even when the moving robot 100 has failed in reading out
the information in the tag 604, the operation of the moving robot
100 is safe for the human who stays with the moving robot 100 since
the moving robot 100 is kept in the state in which the operating
limitations are imposed. Further, even when the operating
limitations are released, since the termination processing is
executed when the moving robot 100 operates for the allowed
operation time and by the allowed operation amount, the probability
of causing inconvenience for the human who stays with the moving
robot 100 is small. That is, the moving robot 100 is configured in
such a way that it is prevented from performing unexpected
operations as much as possible.
The operation permission conditions described as the tag
information will now be explained. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an
example of the tag information read out from the tag 604. The tag
information includes, besides the conditions the same as the
operation limiting conditions shown in the example of FIG. 4,
conditions regarding the allowable operation time and the allowable
operation amount of the actuators.
The whole operation time is defined to be 300 seconds in the tag
information as one allowable operation time of the actuators. That
is, the prohibited matters or the limited matters of the operation
limiting conditions imposed when the limiting operation program 242
is executed are released for 300 seconds after the timer 117 starts
counting time as long as the following described conditions are
satisfied. The whole operation time is a total time of moving the
cart part 110 by the motor 211 and operating the arm part 120 by
the actuator 221. The operation monitoring unit 202 acquires the
output of the timer 117 to monitor whether the whole operation time
that has been defined has passed. While the total time is defined
in this example, the cart moving time during which the cart part
110 moves may instead be defined.
The cart moving distance is defined to be 120 m. The cart moving
distance is a definition as the allowable operation amount of the
motor 211. The controller 200 acquires the output of the encoder
212, integrates the moving distance, and monitors whether the
integrated moving distance has reached the cart moving distance
that has been defined. The cart moving speed is defined to be 0.9
m/s, the height in movement is defined to be 2.0 m, and the
diameter in movement is defined to be 3.0 m. These values are
defined to be equal to or larger than the respective values in the
operation limiting conditions. That is, the operation limiting
conditions are relieved to improve the operation efficiency.
The arm operation amount is defined to be 20 m. The arm operation
amount is a definition as the allowable operation amount of the
actuator 221. The controller 200 acquires the output of the encoder
222, integrates the operating distance, and monitors whether the
integrated operating distance has reached the arm operation amount
that has been defined. The arm operation speed is defined to be 2.0
m/s and the arm operation diameter is defined to be 4.0 m. These
values are set to be equal to or larger than the respective values
in the operation limiting conditions. That is, the operation
limiting conditions of both the cart part 110 and the arm part 120
are relieved to improve the operation efficiency. Note that an arm
operation time during which the arm part 120 is operated may be
defined. The arm operation time starts to be counted when, for
example, the arm part 120 has started the grasping operation.
The tag information specifies a "place object on floor
surface/stop" program as the termination processing program. The
termination processing program is a program executed by the
controller 200 when the operation monitoring unit 202 has
interrupted the execution of the task program 241 since one of the
whole operation time, the cart moving distance, and the arm
operation amount (when the cart moving time and the arm operation
time are defined, including them as well) has reached a
predetermined amount. A plurality of termination processing
programs 243 are prepared in advance and are stored in the memory
240. The tag information specifies one of them.
When the "place object on floor surface/stop" program is specified
as the termination processing program 243, the moving robot 100
drives the arm part 120 to execute the operation of placing the
conveyance object 613 that the hand 124 grasps on the floor
surface, and stops the drive of the driving wheels 112 and stays at
the site at the timing when the task program 241 has been
interrupted. When the moving robot 100 is positioned on an inclined
surface, torque may be given to the driving wheels 112 so as to
prevent the moving robot 100 from falling off the inclined
surface.
When a "place object on floor surface/return" program is specified
as the termination processing program 243, after the moving robot
100 places the conveyance object on the floor surface, it executes
the limiting operation program 242 to return to the starting point
while satisfying the operation limiting conditions. It is
sufficient that the conveyance object 613 be placed in a safety
position and any position other than the floor surface that is
considered to be safe may be specified in advance. For example, the
position that the conveyance object 613 has been originally placed
may be specified or a flat part of the moving robot 100 may be
specified if the size of the conveyance object 613 is relatively
small.
The tag information permits image authentication and usage of voice
recognition as the conditions regarding the usage of sensors of the
sensor unit 230. In this regard as well, the operation limiting
conditions are relieved to prioritize improvement of the operation
efficiency.
Referring once again to FIG. 3, the explanation will be continued.
The moving robot 100 releases the conditions for the limiting
operation and executes the task program 241 in a condition
described in the tag 604 from which information has been read out.
The controller 200 controls the moving robot 100 in such a way that
the moving robot 100 moves from the moving start point 621, passes
a path P while avoiding obstacles, and reaches a grasping/working
point 622 opposed to the shelf 612. When, for example, the whole
operation time, that is, 300 seconds, has passed before the moving
robot 100 reaches the grasping/working point 622 because the moving
robot 100 has intermittently stopped due to the existence of
obstacles such as the operator or when the moving distance that the
moving robot 100 has moved has reached the cart moving distance,
that is, 120 m, before the moving robot 100 reaches the
grasping/working point 622 because the moving robot 100 has moved
along an alternative path, having failed to find the path, the
controller 200 executes the termination processing program 243.
The moving robot 100 finds the conveyance object 613 from the shelf
612, operates the arm part 120, and grasps the conveyance object
613 at the grasping/working point 622. Then the moving robot 100
folds the arm part 120 in such a way that the total diameter of the
moving robot 100 and the conveyance object 613 does not exceed the
diameter in movement R.sub.0. When the operation amount of the arm
part 120 has reached 20 m before this operation is completed, the
moving robot 100 executes the termination processing program 243 at
this stage. After the moving robot 100 completes the grasping
operation, the moving robot 100 goes back to the moving start point
621 via the path P again while avoiding obstacles, and then ends
the execution of the task.
When, for example, the task program 241 is divided into a task of
reciprocating between the moving start point 621 and the
grasping/working point 622 and a task of grasping at the
grasping/working point 622, the tag information may separately
define the operation permission condition for each task. When the
operation permission condition is separately defined, regarding the
task of performing the grasping operation, for example, the timer
117 starts counting time when the moving robot 100 has reached the
grasping/working point 622. Further, regarding the task of
performing the reciprocating movement, the timer 117 stops counting
time while the moving robot 100 is executing the task of performing
the grasping operation. That is, the time when the timer 117 starts
counting time is not limited to the time when the tag reader 116
has read out the information stored in the tag 604 and may be the
time when the moving robot 100 has reached the position at which it
can execute the target task.
Next, a whole process flow of the moving robot 100 will be
explained. FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for describing a process flow
of the moving robot. The process flow starts when, for example, the
power of the moving robot 100 is turned on.
In Step S101, the controller 200 reads the limiting operation
program 242 from the memory 240, and controls the moving robot 100
in accordance with the operation limiting conditions defined in the
limiting operation program 242. The limiting operation program 242
may describe that the moving robot 100 should execute a specific
operation such as moving around the passage area 602 when the
specified task is not given. In this case, the specific operation
is executed in such a way as to satisfy the operation limiting
conditions that have been defined.
The controller 200 acquires a specific task in Step S102. The
acquisition of the task is performed, for example, by the user
selecting a specific task program 241 from the terminal apparatus.
The controller 200 reads the target task program 241 from the
memory 240. The controller 200 starts executing the task when the
execution of this task can be started even under the operation
limiting conditions set by the limiting operation program 242. The
controller 200 defers initiation of the task until the time when it
acquires the tag information if the task cannot be started due to
some operation being prohibited.
In Step S103, the controller 200 checks whether the tag information
has been acquired. If the information stored in the tag has been
read out via the tag reader 116, the tag analyzing unit 201
analyzes the tag information and then the process goes to Step
S104. If not, the process goes to Step S112. When the step moves to
Step S112, the task is executed in the range of the operation
limiting conditions and then the process is ended.
When the process goes to Step S104, the controller 200 resets the
cart moving distance, resets the arm operation amount, and causes
the timer 117 to start counting time. The operation monitoring unit
202, which is a function operating unit of the controller 200,
starts monitoring the whole operation time, the cart moving
distance and the like in accordance with the operation permission
conditions that have been read out. The controller 200 goes to Step
S105, releases the operation limiting conditions that have been
imposed, and executes the task in the range in which the operation
permission conditions of the tag information are satisfied.
While the task is being executed, the operation monitoring unit 202
checks, in Step S106, whether the time limit of the whole operation
time has passed, then checks, in Step S107, whether the cart moving
distance has reached a specified value, and then checks, in Step
S108, whether the arm operation amount has reached a specified
value. When one of these conditions is satisfied, the process goes
to Step S111, where the termination processing program 243
specified as the tag information is loaded from the memory 240 and
the loaded program is executed. When the execution of the
termination processing program 243 is completed, the whole
processing is ended.
When none of these conditions is satisfied, the process goes to
Step S109. The operation monitoring unit 202 may skip Step S108 in
a period in which it is clear that the task that is being executed
relates to the movement of the cart part 110, not the operation of
the arm part 120. In a similar way, the operation monitoring unit
202 may skip Step S107 in a period in which it is clear that the
task that is being executed relates to the operation of the arm
part 120, not the movement of the cart part 110.
The controller 200 checks, in Step S109, whether the task has been
ended. When the task has not yet been ended, the process goes back
to Step S106, where the operation monitoring unit 202 continues the
monitoring operation. When the task has been ended, the process
goes to Step S110, where the processing is made back to the
execution of the limiting operation program 242. When the execution
of the limiting operation program 242 is completed, the whole
processing is ended.
While the example in which both the allowable operation time (e.g.,
the whole operation time) and the allowable operation amount (e.g.,
the cart moving distance) of the actuators have been described in
the tag information has been described in the aforementioned
embodiment, only one of them may be described. When the whole
operation time has been described as the allowable operation time
and the allowable operation amount has not been described, the
operation monitoring unit 202 monitors only the whole operation
time. In this case, the moving distance of the cart part 110 may
become large. On the other hand, when the arm operation amount has
been described as the allowable operation amount and the allowable
operation time has not been described, the operation monitoring
unit 202 monitors only the arm operation amount. In this case, the
moving robot 100 is able to take time for recognizing the
conveyance object 613 and is able to grasp the conveyance object
613 slowly but reliably.
Further, while the moving robot 100 including the arm part 120 for
conveying the conveyance object has been described as an example in
the aforementioned embodiment, any moving robot that has a
structure including an actuator may release prohibition and
limitations and execute tasks in a similar way.
Further, the items described as the tag information and the format
in which the tag information is described are not limited to those
described with reference to FIG. 6. For example, the grasping force
of the hand 124 may be defined as the items or the movable range of
the arm part 120 may be defined by coordinate values in the XYZ
space, not by diameter.
Further, as a condition for executing the termination processing
from the state in which the operating limitations imposed in the
normal state are released or a condition for returning the state in
which the operating limitations imposed in the normal state are
released to the state in which the operating limitations are
imposed, "an instruction by the user" may be added. When, for
example, usage of voice recognition is permitted, the controller
200 returns the state in which the operation limitations are
released to the state in which the operating limitations are
imposed when it has recognized voice saying "stop".
While the example in which the programs executed by the controller
200 are stored in the memory 240 in advance has been described in
the aforementioned embodiment, these programs may be, for example,
transmitted to the moving robot 100 from an external device by
radio communication. The controller 200 may develop the program
acquired via a communication interface in a work memory and execute
the program that has been developed as appropriate.
A (The) program can be stored and provided to a computer using any
type of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory
computer readable media include any type of tangible storage media.
Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic
storage media (such as floppy disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk
drives, etc.), optical magnetic storage media (e.g. magneto-optical
disks), CD-ROM (compact disc read only memory), CD-R (compact disc
recordable), CD-R/W (compact disc rewritable), and semiconductor
memories (such as mask ROM, PROM (programmable ROM), EPROM
(erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory), etc.). The
program may be provided to a computer using any type of transitory
computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer readable
media include electric signals, optical signals, and
electromagnetic waves. Transitory computer readable media can
provide the program to a computer via a wired communication line
(e.g. electric wires, and optical fibers) or a wireless
communication line.
From the invention thus described, it will be obvious that the
embodiments of the invention may be varied in many ways. Such
variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit
and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be
obvious to one skilled in the art are intended for inclusion within
the scope of the following claims.
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